Why Apple's New Update Could Brick Your iPhone 6

Dropped your phone? Got it repaired anywhere other than an Apple Store? You may run into a big problem if you update to iOS 9: users are reporting a message known as Error 53 is rendering their phones useless, making the phone impossible to use.

As The Guardian reports, the issue is associated with the Touch ID pad on the homescreen. Specifically, if Apple believes it's been tampered with, it will shut down the phone completely. Even when taken in to Apple Stores, the answer consumers have gotten back is that they need to get a new phone.

Essentially, as Apple has told the press, the phone's Touch ID button needs to interact with a "secure enclave" where your fingerprints are stored. If tampered with, it can affect this connection. "Without this unique pairing, a malicious touch ID sensor could be substituted, thereby gaining access to the secure enclave," an Apple rep told The Guardian. "When iOS detects that the pairing fails, touch ID, including Apple Pay, is disabled so the device remains secure."

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This means that, at least according to Apple's standard line, it's to prevent tampering or anything that might compromise a user's security. Of course, that also means that users have to stick to Apple authorized repair, whether or not there's a place located anywhere near them that fits that bill.

So yeah, if you have some home button problems on an iPhone 6 ... find your nearest Apple authorized repair place or get ready to have a phone that doesn't work.